Was it the economics or the politics of John Hewson’s Fightback! strategy that failed, asks Norman Abjorensen
08 May 12 Comments (2)Malcolm on the outer
The Liberals have displaced Labor as Australia’s tribal political force, writes Norman Abjorensen, and that makes Malcolm Turnbull an odd man out
05 Apr 12 Comments (8)
Directors of the Liberals
FROM THE NATION ARCHIVE | Fifty years ago Australia’s major parties had limited resources and few staff. But one party had an edge over the other, writes Don Whitington in this essay first published in Nation in October 1961
04 Oct 11 Comments (0)Windows of opportunity
A week might be a long time in politics, but two years mightn’t be long enough, writes Norman Abjorensen
21 Jul 11 Comments (3)The Greens’ preference problem
A Liberal decision to direct preferences away from the Greens could hit the party hard in the lower house, writes Paul Rodan. But the evidence suggests that not all Liberal voters will cooperate
11 Jul 11 Comments (0)The Senate game-change
Labor and the Coalition need to recognise that the Greens are part of political reality, writes Norman Abjorensen
01 Jun 11 Comments (0)Can Turnbull do a Menzies?
A former high-profile lawyer who rose rapidly in politics but was dumped as leader by his own party… Yes, Robert Menzies did bounce back, writes Norman Abjorensen
30 Mar 11 Comments (0)New South Wales: the verdict
Radio National’s The National Interest, presented by Inside Story contributor Peter Mares, looks at the implications of the 2011 New South Wales election result
27 Mar 11 Comments (0)The man who would be premier
Barry O’Farrell reached the NSW Liberal leadership by an unconventional route, writes Brett Evans
16 Feb 11 Comments (2)The forty-third parliament: how’s it hanging?
The House of Representatives has its first Indigenous member and its first Muslim member. But female representation is stuck at around 25 per cent, writes Tony Smith
29 Sep 10 Comments (1)The fabulous fiftieth NSW parliament, and other minority governments
Every Australian state and territory has experienced a minority government over the past twenty years. Peter Browne surveys a surprisingly strong field
10 Sep 10 Comments (0)Second thoughts
Australian governments tend to take a hit at their first bid for re-election, writes Norman Abjorensen. But it’s not clear why
18 Aug 10 Comments (1)Under the radar: direct mail and the election
Amid piles of letters and leaflets from fifteen very marginal seats, Sally Young looks at the role of direct mail campaigning in this election
13 Aug 10 Comments (3)Howard’s victories: which voters switched, which issues mattered, and why
The reasons for the Howard government’s electoral success are widely misunderstood, write Murray Goot and Ian Watson, and we can see the impact in the current campaign
23 Jul 10 Comments (1)Quotas for the Liberal Party?
Judith Troeth is trying to persuade Liberals that the presence of more women in the parliamentary party will mean a larger pool of talent for ministerial and leadership positions, writes Marian Sawer
07 Jul 10 Comments (1)The parties’ democratic deficit
In a democratic system the parties themselves should practise internal democracy, argues Norman Abjorensen
10 Feb 10 Comments (0)The phoney war is over
With Tony Abbott in charge the game is on in earnest, writes Norman Abjorenson
10 Dec 09 Comments (0)The Howard impact
Viewed comparatively, the achievements and failings of the Howard government look a little different, write Rodney Tiffen and Ross Gittins in this edited extract from their new book, How Australia Compares
Comments (4)A good week for the Liberal Party
Voters know too much about Tony Abbott, but in the long run that’s not a problem for his party, writes Peter Brent
02 Dec 09 Comments (3)
